Hot Weather And Exercise

KYW Medical Reports Sponsored By Independence Blue Cross

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – I was asked a very interesting question last week during the heat wave. What do you recommend for exercise in temperatures like this? My suggestion stay indoors and be creative.  You can make gains in fitness, strength, and flexibility right in the comfort of your own home. Here is one idea but be prepared because the exercise is pretty tough:

It is a total-body exercise works your arms, legs, and core, while getting your heart pumping hard. Start standing up. Squat down and place both hands on the floor. Jump your legs back into a plank position (that is like a push up position), then back up to your hands before standing up again. Boost the intensity with a single jump between repetitions or a pushup from plank pose. If you feel like this is too much here is another idea: do a short warm-up of walking in place. Then stride briskly in a six-foot circle to your right, then to your left, so that eventually you forge a path that resembles a figure eight. Once this feels easy, build on it by increasing your speed, walking heel-to-toe with no space between your feet, or walking backward.

Another option — if you have cable or access to On Demand there are dozens of workouts with varying degrees of difficulty.